Ars System Guide: November 2004 edition

We've updated our System Guide. This month, the God Box gets a new motherboard …

Budget Box

Motherboard

MSI K7N2Delta-LSR

Onboard sound and Ethernet are standard on most motherboards today, so what you buy is largely a matter of preference for your CPU, brand of chipset, and brand of motherboard. In order to update the Budget Box with SATA support, we switch to the MSI K7N2Delta-LSR over the previous Shuttle AN35N Ultra. For additional features such as Firewire, look at the Epox EP-8RDA3+, MSI K7N2Delta-ILSR, Abit AN7, Asus A7N8X-E Deluxe, etc.

Both of these microATX boards also feature the nForce2 IGP instead of the nForce2 SPP, which means they have onboard video. For those who do not demand higher levels of 3D performance, the onboard video from the IGP allows them to save a few bucks by skipping the separate video card...

Processor:

AMD Athlon XP2500 Retail

The budget CPU of choice remains the Athlon XP around the Barton core (512KB cache, 333mhz or 400mhz FSB), available in conventional retail and OEM versions with a price/performance sweet spot around 2500+. Overclockers can enjoy the benefits of unlocked Bartons in the guise of XP-Mobile chips, such as the XP2500+ Mobile, although lots of overclockers get their locked 2500s from 333mhz FSB to 400mhz FSB (3200+) speeds without any problems.

For cooling, we keep the AMD Retail solution, since it's even more cost-effective than most other low-cost coolers. Those who want to splurge for better cooling should look at the Zalman CNPS7000AlCu or Thermalright SP-series (or SLK-series) with an OEM chip.

RAM:

Two sticks 256MB PC3200 DDR

We use two 256MB PC3200 sticks for optimal performance from our dual-channel DDR controller on the nForce2 Ultra400-based motherboard; although those using separate AGP video cards and seeking immediate future expansion may want to consider just a single 512MB stick.

Those using the on-board video of their nForce2 IGP-equipped boards will benefit more from dual channel than those using separate AGP cards, which is something to consider for those on a budget. Using the onboard video usually limits memory speeds to PC2700 (DDR333), so if your budget is stretched, dropping down to PC2700 may be a viable last-ditch move.

Video:

ATI Radeon 9800SE 128MB

Scrimping on other components to include the faster 9800 Pro would be a good choice for gamers, although they should be looking at even faster cards such as the nVidia 6600GT and ATI X700 if they want to play Doom3 or Far Cry. For those who are somewhat less focused on gaming, the Radeon 9800SE is more than adequate for almost everything 3D, and it is a nice performance bump from the previous Radeon 9600 Pro in the Budget Box.

Those who do not plan anything 3D-related should stick with the on-board GF2MX-level graphics of the nForce2 chipset to save a considerable amount of money. An nForce2 IGP motherboard would be necessary for that, of course, such as the MSI K7N2GM. For office work, the integrated graphics are an excellent solution at this price point.

Sound:

None?? nForce2 on-board

The price of nForce boards today makes this a no-brainer, especially given the features and quality. nForce2 sound in particular can be very good stuff, although you need to use the digital out to see the most benefit.

Cost: n/a

Communications:

Modem ? none

The adoption of high-speed internet access by today's enthusiasts means the modem recommendation can be removed from the Budget Box. For those who still need a modem, we recommend USR's 5610A and 5610B "Performance Pro" controller-based modems or the older 2976 and 2977 controller-based modems for compatibility and performance.

Cost: n/a

Network card ? none (on-board)

The motherboard has integrated 10/100 Ethernet on-board, which is adequate for the Budget Box.

Cost: n/a

Hard drive:

Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 80GB

Hard drives are all very close in price between 40GB and 200GB, and when sales and rebates are considered you may find that drives as large as 250GB are affordable. Considering "after rebate" prices in the System Guide is a bit too unpredictable for us, so do not expect them here.

Buy what you need. Justifying $20 extra for 2x the space may be reasonable to some, but not necessarily everyone. The next-generation drives from Hitachi, Western Digital, Seagate, Fujitsu, and others are beginning to show up in distribution channels, so for a little more performance than the 7200.7, a newer drive such as the Maxtor Diamondmax 10 might be worth looking at.

Optical drive:

DVD-RW/CD-RW: NEC ND-3500A

Cheap DVD-writers (and previously, cheap CD-writers) were two of the more useful enhancements to consumer-level computing. Spending a little extra for a DVD-writer over a CD-writer is probably going to be very useful to a lot of people in the near future. Conversely, going with a plain CD-ROM to save a few extra dollars does not hurt functionality all that much for some users. We abandon the middle ground in this update and move to the NEC ND-3500A 16x DVD-+RW.

Separate DVD-ROM and CD-RW drives, or separate DVD-ROM and DVD-+RW drives, are preferred by many. If you choose to go that route, look at the Pioneer DVD-120 (40X DVD-ROM) or Sony DDU1621 (40x DVD-ROM) to complement your DVD-RW.

Case:

Antec SLK1650

The Chenbro PC-611, In-Win S508, Antec SLK3700AMB, coolcases D8000, mnpctech SC135, Lian-Li PC7, and many other excellent chassis are available for the Budget Box. Good cooling and good power supplies come packaged into even low-end chassis now, and mid-tower layouts allow for sufficient expansion without seeming cramped.

The Antec SLK1650-series is a newer, smaller chassis from Antec that retains its SLK3700AMB/SLK3700BQE/Sonata "bigger brothers'" provisions for quiet cooling with large 120mm fans, and happens to save a few dollars over its larger and more spacious siblings. In the quest for quality, a few extra dollars may be well spent on the chassis, but saving the few extra dollars never hurt. The Antec trio listed above have similar competitors from Compucase, which are resold as the coolcases D8000 and mnpctech SC135/SC195. We are very happy with the SLK3700BQE in particular, and the D8000 and SC135 are great alternatives to it if you do not like the black finish of the original Antec SLK3700AMB/BQE/Sonata.

Monitor:

Viewsonic G71f+

17" (16" viewable), 1280x1024, 0.25mm. You can go cheaper, but your monitor is the thing you look at whenever you use your computer, which means a few more bucks here goes a long way. We've got a solid recommendation at a good price in the Viewsonic, although the higher-end NEC FE791SB or Viewsonic P75F+ is money very well spent if you can afford it.

Somewhat more money may make a 19" unit such as the NEC Mitsubishi FE991SB, Samsung 997DF, or Viewsonic P95f+ affordable, which is always worth looking into. LCDs, unfortunately, aren't quite affordable enough yet for the Budget Box without making major sacrifices in other areas to find the typical US$300 minimum price of entry for an LCD.

Mouse:

Microsoft Wheel Mouse Optical

Optical mice are downright cheap. Buy what you like, be it Microsoft, Logitech, or anything else. If you crave more buttons, higher-end mice from most companies including Microsoft and Logitech are readily available for more money. Logitech's new MX1000 is one very nice, very expensive example of a high-end mouse.

Keyboard:

Generic

As long as it is comfortable to you, then buy it. While the cheapest price we found is listed, don't be afraid to spend a little more. Logitech, Microsoft, and other name-brand units are a little more expensive if the generics do not cater to your needs. Keep in mind the important nature of personal preference in this decision, and the fact that your keyboard is a critical piece of your interface to your computer.

Floppy:

Mitsumi 1.44MB

A floppy drive is still a basic tool for system construction, especially for pesky new pieces of hardware which aren't supported by the bootable CD you're using. Teac is another name brand we like, but in reality, a random pull from a vendor is likely to be a quality Sony, Teac, Mitsumi, or other unit.

Motherboards today can often boot from USB devices, so leaving out the floppy drive makes more and more sense today if you own one of these low-cost devices. Even a "small" USB key at 8MB is much bigger and faster than a floppy disk.

Total Cost: US$756.62, not including shipping and handling (11/22/2004, no OS)

Recommended operating systems:

Windows XP Home, Linux, FreeBSD ? we can recommend them all, because they'll all run well on this box, but you don't need them all!

Windows XP Home

Windows 2000 with a lot more glitz and a few improvements. Gaming support is further improved over Windows 2000, and while some quirks due to the high level of feature integration remain, XP Home is a choice many want to make. When buying with new hardware, OEM versions should be affordable. Keep this in mind, particularly if Windows XP Professional isn't too much more.

Linux

Any computer enthusiast worth his salt boots more than one OS. Linux is a wonderful choice for the budget box: powerful, cool, and cheap. Take your pick of distributions and go nuts! Fedora Core 3, Slackware, Debian, Suse, and Mandrake, try Linuxiso.org or Cheapbytes.com, or others.

Cost: Free, or around US$50 for a prepackaged distribution like Debian (11/22/2004)